The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2015, and October 31, 2016 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2016 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on November 3, 2016, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

A reality show becomes a test of survival for 10 strangers stranded on a small island in Draker’s debut thriller.

What do a producer of animated films, an Army corporal, a rock climber and a doctor have in common? They’re all survivors of tragic events and four of the contestants on a new reality TV series set on Año Nuevo Island, a remote nature preserve inhabited by large, aggressive seals and sea lions. With $5 million at stake, however, the players are less worried about the animals than their fellow contestants—particularly when people start dying. The novel initially hints at a nature-gone-wild plot: Contestants JT and Lauren, for example, are barely off the dock before a “massive wet shape” chases them. In the end, however, the book focuses on the island’s human element. In fact, the people start sizing each other up and mentally formulating teams before they even know what the show’s all about. Even a simple game of capture the flag results in a player tasing her own teammate before the group begins to suspect that there’s a saboteur in their midst. There are a few graphically violent scenes, but for the most part, the author competently emphasizes suspense. In 700-plus pages, Draker has ample room to develop his cast, which he does effortlessly; Camilla, who survived a freeway accident when she was 7, gets most of the spotlight, but the story is teeming with other resplendent characters, such as Mason, a wisecracking banker; Juan, a model-handsome scuba diver; and three scientists who try to ensure that the “TV people” don’t disrupt their research. As the characters’ sullied histories are slowly and meticulously exposed, readers may have difficulty deciding whether they sympathize with many of the contestants. That said, it’s easy to root for their survival in this story about the terrifying things that desperate people can do.

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